Science and the Bible: Modern Insights for an Ancient Text | |||
Instone-Brewer (David) | |||
This Page provides (where held) the Abstract of the above Book and those of all the Papers contained in it. | |||
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Back Cover Blurb
→ Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible,
→ Divorce and Remarriage in the Church, and
→ Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament.
Amazon Customer Review
→ Addison Wier, Reviewed in the United States on 26 February 2023
Notes
Contents
Introduction – 1
In the Bible, God’s miracles aren’t like magic tricks — he doesn’t suddenly produce things out of thin air or make something disappear in a puff of smoke, though presumably he could. The way that he does work tells us a lot about what he is like.
We tend to ascribe to God only the things we don’t yet understand, such as how life began — that is, the gaps in our knowledge. But there’s a different kind of gap that would allow him to do anything he wished without breaking any of the observable laws of physics.
The stars aren’t gods (as pagans thought in Bible times), or holes in the dome of heaven (as the medieval church thought). We know they are suns, and we now know why God created so many.
Our finely tuned universe provides a valid proof for God's existence — unless there are infinite multiverses that contain everything that can possibly exist. However, these multiverses also provide a proof for God — so either way, a creator exists.
Infinity is an important concept in mathematics. Strangely, unlike most other branches of mathematics, it doesn’t represent anything in the natural world — unless it tells us about God himself.
String theory describes an eleventh dimension termed M, which is equally close to every physical point. This can help us understand God’s omniscience and omnipresence.
The church rejected Galileo because he contradicted the Bible — though actually he only rejected its interpretation of the Bible. How can we tell when the Bible is speaking metaphorically and when it is trying to teach us scientific facts?
If you were God, how would you describe geological history to the author of Genesis? One way is to present it as six days in the life of the Earth. When we examine the text, this interpretation actually fits more literally than one-week creation.
Young-earth interpretations say that the thousands of species rescued by Noah became the millions we see now. They say that species changed much faster at that time, while others say they always change slowly. Can we conclude which theory is wrong?
Does it matter whether God took billions of years or one week? Do fossils and genetic family trees point to real history or an apparent history that God hid for us to find? The answer affects how we think about God.
Did the waters cover all the “mountains” of the “earth” or all the "hills” of the "land"?
Interpreting the text very literally resolves these ambiguities and produces a surprising conclusion.
Were languages "created” or “confused" at Babel? The actual tower was rediscovered a few decades ago, thanks to a deciphered Babylonian tablet. Its Sumerian name suggests why it was so dangerous.
The lengthened day was accompanied by another miracle: hailstones that killed the enemy. Meteorologists know a phenomenon that links these two events and helps us to understand how one miracle gave rise to both of these wonders.
geologists warn us to look after the world, but the Bible says there will be a “new Earth," so why bother? Details in the Bible text suggest that the Earth will be renewed, not replaced.
The Bible tells us we are made of dust, and science tells us this dust was made in stars. Did God make Adam from dust in an afternoon or over billions of years? Science has a lot to say about this, but the best clue is in the Bible text.
Some animals can use tools, show emotions, and communicate with words, so are humans merely clever animals? The Bible and psychologists use different language but agree on this distinction: humans are spiritual, while animals have only souls.
What is the difference between the human spirit and soul? Neurologists and philosophers ask a similar question about the mind and brain.
When the account of Eden’s ribs, snakes, and trees is expressed in modern concepts, it agrees surprisingly well with the literal text. Gerontologists would love to know what grew on the tree of life.
Paleoanthropologists trace humans back three million years, so where does Adam fit in? Details in the text of Genesis reveal some intriguing possibilities that correspond with what archaeologists and geneticists have discovered.
If Cain married someone living outside Eden, this would explain some strange details in Genesis. It would also explain how our gene pool contains so much variation.
A surprising proportion of babies are born physically intersex — that is, not identifiably male or female. The Bible only condemns those who live contrary to their nature, which implies that God accepts us as we are — however we are born.
Acts of kindness and self-sacrificial heroism occur in all populations. Are they signs of divine action in someone’s life, or are they simply normal traits that we should expect to find in humans?
Jesus was fully man, with a limited human mind, so how could he know everything that God knows? One solution lies in analogies with computers and especially within some popular computer games.
Statisticians say the world is getting better in most ways, but doesn’t the Bible predict the opposite? Jesus said that when disasters happen, the end is “not yet,” and Paul expected Jesus’ return when everyone says “Peace, peace.”
Computer science presents us with a vocabulary for understanding resurrection: our DNA and body can be reconstructed like hardware, and our memory can be backed up like software. Of course, the backup drive would be huge.
Index – 327
God doesn’t materialize things like a fictional wizard might. He tends to enhance or speed up nature when working miracles, as if he likes using the natural world that he has created.
Seismologists can’t make accurate predictions yet, though God predicted Sodom’s destruction. This is described like a natural process because it couldn’t be delayed when Lot dawdled.
Attempts to explain these miracles don’t work very well, but we aren’t wrong to try — the Bible itself explains how the Jordan dried up (in a way that was understandable at the time). The most spectacular element in these miracles is their exact timing.
The Israelites lived in the wilderness for forty years. This clearly involved miracles, but these did not include providing all their food and water — because other nations were managing to live there too.
Astronomers can predict heavenly signs foretold by the Bible, such as blood moons, and the wise men predicted Christ’s birth. Can we predict the future using the Bible or the stars?
Spontaneous virgin birth is scientifically very unlikely — although not impossible. Theologically it is more problematic: How can Jesus be a natural man if he is born by unnatural means? One proposal helps to solve both sets of difficulties.
I’ve been excited, surprised, and depressed by the findings in this book. But ultimately, I'm hopeful. We have found that biblical studies and the sciences really can help each other. After all, they both explore a revelation from God.
Book Comment
Lexham Press (23 Sept. 2020)
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